Lessons Ideas (These are some of the ideas that I accumulated during my years of teaching. I was part of a very active mail-ring that had great ideas. )
Story Elements What are the things that make a story? Characters — who are in the story? Setting — where a story takes place and when is the story? Problem — what is happening causing problems? Solution — how did the problem get fixed?
Writing Write a letter to Chrysanthemum giving her put-ups. Acrostic Poem About yourself or a peer (I am Thankful for….) Write a personal narrative about a time you were put-down
Personalize Writer’s Notebook: Find out the meaning of your name, ask (interview) your parents. What are the reason(s) behind the choice of your name? Do you feel that your name suits you (fits their personality)? (Write about their names as a first entry in writer’s Notebook).
Phonics Use chrysanthemum as the "big word" in making words (in groups). Sorting words and making transfer words
Other Have them design their name, decorate it and use it as a name tag, desk tag, or Bulletin Board decorations
Move-up Day or 1st Day “We are Unique” Bulletin Board/Door. Children write and design their name (No two are the same), Class discussion about how everyone is different.
Character Education After reading the story, everyone sits in a circle and you have a large paper cut-out of a girl (or heart). Everyone gets the cut-out and scrunches or folds a piece of her. At the end the cut-out is in a bad shape. Try to smooth it out and explain that even though she can be smoothed back out, the wrinkles are still there (place some band-aids on the tears). Explain that when people use hurtful words, remarks, or actions, they cause wrinkles and tears (like the cut-out) even though someone can apologize and be forgiven, the hurtful marks are still left on us (with the heart, it might mend but it is not as it used to be)
Math Make a class graph of the numbers of letters in our names. Write questions that can be answered by using the graph.
Math Extension: Find out how many letters are in all of our names together. Put it on the classroom number line and when the time comes (day of the school year) find out what are the possible addition, multiplication ways to make that number ( I used Every Day Counts in my math program and we would find the different multiplication ways to get that number.)
Graph names’ syllables, number of vowels, number of consonants.
Chrysanthemum
Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Lessons Ideas (These are some of the ideas that I accumulated during my years of teaching. I was part of a very active mail-ring that had great ideas. )
Story Elements
What are the things that make a story?
Characters — who are in the story?
Setting — where a story takes place and when is the story?
Problem — what is happening causing problems?
Solution — how did the problem get fixed?
Writing
Write a letter to Chrysanthemum giving her put-ups.
Acrostic Poem About yourself or a peer (I am Thankful for….)
Write a personal narrative about a time you were put-down
Personalize Writer’s Notebook: Find out the meaning of your name, ask (interview) your parents. What are the reason(s) behind the choice of your name? Do you feel that your name suits you (fits their personality)? (Write about their names as a first entry in writer’s Notebook).
Phonics
Use chrysanthemum as the "big word" in making words (in groups). Sorting words and making transfer words
Other
Have them design their name, decorate it and use it as a name tag, desk tag, or Bulletin Board decorations
Move-up Day or 1st Day “We are Unique” Bulletin Board/Door. Children write and design their name (No two are the same), Class discussion about how everyone is different.
Character Education
After reading the story, everyone sits in a circle and you have a large paper cut-out of a girl (or heart). Everyone gets the cut-out and scrunches or folds a piece of her. At the end the cut-out is in a bad shape. Try to smooth it out and explain that even though she can be smoothed back out, the wrinkles are still there (place some band-aids on the tears). Explain that when people use hurtful words, remarks, or actions, they cause wrinkles and tears (like the cut-out) even though someone can apologize and be forgiven, the hurtful marks are still left on us (with the heart, it might mend but it is not as it used to be)
Math
Make a class graph of the numbers of letters in our names.
Write questions that can be answered by using the graph.
Math Extension:
Find out how many letters are in all of our names together. Put it on the classroom number line and when the time comes (day of the school year) find out what are the possible addition, multiplication ways to make that number ( I used Every Day Counts in my math program and we would find the different multiplication ways to get that number.)
Graph names’ syllables, number of vowels, number of consonants.